Double your daffodils and more: 5 things to do in the garden this week

5 things to do in the garden this week:

1. It has already started to rain and, even if it hadn’t, there would be no need to run your sprinklers for the next three months at least. Watering of containers is an ongoing concern but plants in the ground should not need much, if any, supplemental irrigation until March, if not beyond, depending on how much rain we get. It’s a good idea to procure a watering wand whose nozzle consists of multiple watering modes, whether you want a delicate spray for germinating seeds or a more steady flow for established plants, or something in between. In any case, you can find such wands online and at home improvement centers for $15-25. Some wands have a single shower head type nozzle attached and they do a good job of all-purpose watering throughout the year.

2. Having a mulch in place when it rains will prevent fungus spores lying on the soil surface from splashing onto plants. Let’s say you have a camellia that suffered last year from petal blight, a disease that causes camellia flower petals to turn brown. If last year’s flowers fell to the ground instead of being picked off the plant, it is possible that the fungus spores causing that disease will splash back up when it rains onto this year’s flowers and turn them brown as well. By laying down a straw mulch, however, you will prevent this “spore splash” from happening since straw readily absorbs rain. Straw is an excellent mulch because, in addition to preventing weed growth, it aerates the soil as it decomposes. It’s also valuable for placing under strawberries, cherry tomatoes, or low-hanging fruit of any description that would otherwise touch the ground and rot from contact with the earth. Straw bales measuring 2 feet by 2 feet by 4 feet are available at animal feed supply stores for around $20.

3.  You can double the number of daffodil bulbs sending up flowers in a given space by planting them in two layers. Plant the bottom layer eight inches deep and cover with potting soil up to the bulb tips. Then place another layer of bulbs in the spaces formed between tips of the lower layer of bulbs. Cover up with soil mix to ground level. The bulbs in the upper layer will be the first to bloom, followed by the lower layer. Keukenhoff is a park in Holland – the world’s largest bulb garden – where 7 million bulbs are planted annually. To lengthen the show, three bulbs are planted per hole, with the bulb on top producing the first blooms, followed by the bulb under it and finally the one at the bottom of the hole bursting into bloom. The park is open to the public only two months of the year, from mid-March to mid-May, when the bulbs’ flower show is at its peak.

4. During winter, indoor plants may suffer from low humidity due to central heating. A humidifier solves this problem and one of the most recommended models in this regard is the Levoit Classic 300S which sells for $80. On a low mist setting, the unit humidifies a room for up to 60 hours and may be controlled remotely from your cell phone. You adjust the humidity according to your liking. Indoor plant insect pests may also become active in winter with dust coming from heating vents settling on foliage and providing a comfortable nesting ground, especially for spider mites. Even where insect pests are not a problem, leaf dust will impair photosynthesis – the process by which a plant makes self-sustaining carbohydrates – as dust blocks the sun’s rays. You can clean the leaves of most houseplants with a damp cloth, while the leaves of fuzzy-leafed plants such as African violets – which you never want to get wet – are best cleaned with soft bristles such as those found on a mushroom brush.

5. Continue to plant root crops such as carrots, radishes, and turnips, as well as every type of leafy green, throughout the winter months. Regarding garden ornamentals, those from Mediterranean climates benefit from December planting. Choose from long-blooming beauties such as yellow-flowered Jerusaelm sage (Phlomis fruticosa) and lion’s tail (Leonotis leonurus), whose tubular orange flowers have nectar at their base that makes a sweet treat when sucked out – in the same manner that you can enjoy nectar from the base of honeysuckle flowers. Grevilleas, with their distinctive spidery blooms, are also meant to be planted now as are California native woody perennials such as California lilac (Ceanothus) and manzanita (Arctostaphylos) species.

Please send your questions and comments to joshua@perfectplants.com